Masks
by BrokenSky49
Summary: "You know, I never thought that my first in-person meeting with my best friend would be under these circumstances. I was expecting a sweet, heart-warming scene. But no. Instead, I was wet, bloody, and about to pass out on his floor. Not to mention that I was pretty sure that he was somehow involved with my sister's kidnapping. Yeah, my life was awesome like that." AU and Fax :)
1. Ch 1: Last Time of Peace

**"You know, I never thought that my first in-person meeting with my best friend would be under these circumstances. I was expecting a sweet, heart-warming scene. But no. Instead, I was wet, bloody, and about to pass out on his floor. Not to mention that I was pretty sure that he was somehow involved with my sister's kidnapping. Yeah, my life was awesome like that."  
**

**And that's the summary :)  
**

**Hiya everyone! The name's Sky, and this is my MR fic! I hope y'all like it! It's something I've been working on for a while, and I finallyyy decided to post it, thanks to my beta, CakeIsAGoodFriend :D Check out her stories, if you haven't already. Seriously, they are amazing.  
**

**So, hopefully this doesn't stink, and that you enjoy it! Let me know what you thought in a review and if I should continue :)  
**

**Here's Total with the Disclaimer!  
**

**Total: Sky does not take ownership of any of the Maximum Ride characters or anything else. She means no copy right infringement, and does not want to get sued. She is not an old balding man, and therefore not JP, even though she really, really, _really_ wants to be.  
**

**Thank you Total. So, yeah, Me no own.  
**

**And just to warn you, there are letters between two characters from when they were in first grade. The grammar/spelling is purposefully terrible. I do not normally write like that. No need to worry that I wrote that way throughout the whole thing hahaha. Yeahhhh... On with the story!  
**

* * *

_...11 years ago..._

_Dear Max,_

_Hey. My name is Nick Martinez, but everyone calls me Fang. I'm six and in first grade. I guess you are too. I live in California. You live New York, right? My teacher is making us write to each other for the whole school year. She even gave us stuff we have to put in the first letter. Did your teacher do that too? I'm supposed to describe me now, so, uh, I have black hair and dark brown eyes and I guess I'm tall for my age. I think thats a good enough description. I like to draw. My mom says I'm good at it but shes my mom so she has to say that._

_My teacher Ms. Ashton said that we need to put something that happened to us this week. So I'll tell you that I got my baby sister on Friday. Her name is Ella. I was bored so I drew a picture of her. I'll give it to you, so I can get a honest opinion about my pictures._

_We are supposed to ask three questions to our pen pal, so here it goes._

_1.) What's your middle name?_

_2.) Do you have any brothers or sisters?_

_3.) Do you think this is as lame as I do?_

_Anyway, thats all I have to do, so I guess I'm finished. I'm just glad that your not a girl. My friend Iggy got one. Now he has to worry about cooties. Poor guy._

_From,_

_Fang._

* * *

_Dear Fang (What kind of name is that?),_

_Hello there. My name is Maximum Ride. Max for short. And yes, I'm a girl. I cant beleeve you thought I was a boy. Max is a girl name too! I cant beleeve I got stuck with a sexist pig. My dad said that when he read it. I dont know what it means but if my dad said it it must be true. And by the way tell your friend, Iggy, that scientists proved that cooties don't exist like a bazillion years ago. My daddys a scientist so I would know._

_Well since I'm stuck with you I'll have to forgive you. But you should know that I can kick your butt any day, because I take karate. One time a boy named Steven from the third grade tried to make me fall in mud but then I kicked his butt into next year. So don't say anything stupid, because I'll go across the country to kick your butt. Got it? Good._

_Anyway yes, I do have these stupid things that I have to put in this, so here it goes._

_I am Max and I have blonde hair and brown eyes. I am the tallest girl in my class. My favorite hobby is karate and eating. My mommy says I eat a lot. I can't help that I'm always hungry. My daddy said thats because I'm growing real fast._

_So, I saw that picture you sent. It was good and I don't say that alot. Dont let it get to your head._

_So, now I need to answer your questions._

_1.) I don't have a middle name, so I gave me one. It's Sally you know, like Sally Ride._

_2.) No, I don't have any brothers or sisters. I hope I will though._

_3.) Yes, yes I do._

_Those were some weird questions. Mine are alot better._

_1.) Are you always this weird?_

_2.) Why is your friend named Iggy?_

_3.) Are your friends as weird as you?_

_Well, thats it. I guess I'll get your letter next week._

_Bye,_

_Max._

* * *

And that was my first conversation with my best friend.

Beautiful, wasn't it?

I know, I know. You're not here to read a long story about how two kids from opposite sides of the country became best friends and their struggle in keeping up with their strange friendship. But trust me; there is a point to me telling you about this. You just won't find out why until a little bit later.

It all started out as a normal day. My alarm woke me up. I smashed it. I got dressed for school. I tripped down the stairs.

You know, the usual.

"Goodness, Max! Careful! You trip on those stairs every day!"

"Yeah, yeah. Just give me some food." I plopped down at the counter as my dad, Jeb, laughed to himself.

"Here." He handed me a plate full of pancakes, still chuckling. "Is that all you think about? Food?"

"You know me too well." I replied, my mouth already stuffed with pancakey goodness.

"Mornin' Max!" My little sister, Angel, happily went down the stairs. Any person that can be happy that early in the morning was insane, and, well, Angel wasn't that far off. But I loved her anyway, even though we weren't technically blood related.

Hm, I should probably explain that to you. I'm adopted. Apparently, both of my parents died when I was only a few months old. So, Jeb and Marian Batcheldor adopted me. When I was eleven, they had Angel. A few years later, Marian and Jeb got divorced. It was all Marian's fault, of course. Jeb caught her cheating on him, or something like that. That's what he told us, anyway. I always thought there was more too it, considering I haven't heard from her since. It hurt, in a way, but Marian and I never got along with each other. Not like Jeb and me. So I got over it pretty quickly. It was Angel who I was sad for. She barely even knew her own birth mother.

Anyway, it didn't matter that Angel wasn't my blood sister. She was my totally sweet sister all the same, even though she had her diabolically evil side. You'll get what I mean in a minute.

"Hey Max?"

"What's up, Ange?"

"Could you take me to my friend Lily's house after school today?"

I thought for a moment. "Oh I can't Angel. Sorry. I promised Nudge to meet her at her house today."

Here's where her diabolical, evil side comes in.

She pulled the Bambi eyes on me.

...

Dang those Bambi eyes.

"Pleaasseee?" She forced up some tears, making her bright blue eyes wide. Her blonde hair hung in curls that made her look, well, angelic. My heart began to soften.

I swear, I'm goo in that girl's hands.

I threw my hands up in the air. "Fine! I'll take you. But you owe me eternally for this." I grinned at her.

"Thanks Max!" She wrapped me up in a big hug.

Little did I know that that would be one of the last hugs I got from her.

But now I'm getting ahead of myself.

Not to sound vague or mysterious or foreshadow-y or anything.

Anyway, I finished eating quickly and hopped in my car. That's right. Senior privileges meant I could finally drive my car to school. I thought it was stupid that only seniors could drive, but I was just thankful that my time waiting had finally ended. It also meant that I drove Nudge to school every day, since she was a junior. But whatever. I didn't mind. Especially since the morning was one of those rare moments when she was too tired to talk. Thank goodness.

I pulled up to her house quickly, since she lived down the street from me. Nudge was waiting outside, looking tired. cold, miserable. Her dark brown curls were up in a messy pony tail, like she had slept in it the night before. Ha. Typical Nudge. A slob at home, but a fashion geek at school. At least she had the sense to get dressed in something. "Hey Nudge." I said, smiling as she got into the car, her eyes half closed.

"Shut up."

I guess neither of us were morning people.

She slept for the whole ten minutes it took for us to get to school. I enjoyed the silence while it lasted, because it wouldn't be for very long. She would get back to being her normal self about five minutes after we got there.

I pulled into my usual parking spot. I nudged Nudge (haha, get it? I had to nudge Nudge? Ha, haha, yeahh...) to wake her up. "Come on, Nudge. We're running a little late. I'm not sure how much time you'll have to fix your hair, you know, 'cause you slept on it."

Well that got her up quickly.

"Thanks, Max!" She shouted over her shoulder as she ran towards the school entrance.

I chuckled, then sighed, slowly walking up the school stairs and to my locker. I looked at my watch. 8 o'clock.

I took out my phone to text Fang. Time for his wake up call, or, text, or whatever.

You may be saying to yourself, "Wait, if it's 8 AM in New York, wouldn't it be ridiculously early in the morning in California, where Fang lives?" Why, yes, you smart people! It would! Actually, it'd be 5 in the morning. You see, I'm Fang's alarm. For the past month, every day at 8, I would send him a text that says something along the lines of "GET UP YOU LAZY BUM!", which then wakes him up. Why he gets up at a stupidly early time? I don't really know. He refuses to tell me. That idiot.

_Wake up, Princess. It's time for the ball._

_Shut up, Max._

_Hey, you're the one that wants me to send you these so early in the morning. You gonna tell me why yet?_

_No._

_Didn't think so._

_Don't you have class or something?_

_No, I'm only at school so I can spend all my early morning free time there. What do you think?_

_No need to get sarcastic with me. Hey, I gotta go. To talk to you on Skype at 7 EST?_

_Yep, like always. Have fun doing whatever it is you're doing._

I shut off my phone right when I was hit by a mass of arms and frizzy blonde hair.

"Maaxxxx!"

"JJ! Let me breathe, okay?"

JJ, my partner in crime, reluctantly let me go, and I gasped for breath and coughed. "Thanks."

"Max! So much happened this weekend! It stinks that you have a job now. I feel like I never see you!"

"JJ, this was only my second weekend working..."

"Well, I know, but I know that you're gonna be working a lot and stuff, and I already feel like we never see each other! And, no offense, your job is really creepy."

Well, she had a point there.

You see, I hadn't even been looking for a job. But my dad said that this company, Itex something or other, called our house and offered me a job. I would've said no, because, quite frankly, it was weird that they randomly called me. But Jeb said he checked it out and that I could use the extra money to finally fly to California to visit Fang. So, I took it. All I did was file stuff on their ground floor on the weekends. It was pretty boring. But I understood the whole 'really creepy' concept.

"JJ, it's not that bad. Plus, they pay a lot. Don't worry; I'll make sure that I have plenty of time for you." I smiled.

"Thanks Max! Oh yeah! You still going to Nudge's house after school?"

"I'm bringing Angel somewhere after school first, but I'll definitely be there after." Nudge was having a "Senior Year Get Together For All My Senior Friends", or at least that's what it said on the flyers she made, even though only four people were invited. According to her, it wasn't a real party unless you handed out flyers.

"Awesome! Just don't be too late!" And then she scampered off to harass some other poor soul, completely forgetting to tell me about how her weekend was. Oh JJ, you gotta love 'er.

The rest of my day was normal. I got detention from Mrs. Leigh in first period and from Mr. Gullham in second. I got out of both of them by third. I slept through fourth. I doodled during fifth.

And then lunch came.

I guess that's when you could say the crap hit the fan.

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**Dun, dun, DUN! Haha. So, you like? Let me know! :D**


	2. Ch 2: The Beginning

**Hello everyone! THANK YOU so much for your reviews! I am so glad y'all liked it! Hopefully everyone likes this chapter as well. It has more action and plot development in it, so hopefully it will keep you on your toes and wanting more!**

**Total: I think you guys will like it. By the way, Sky, will you be introducing me into this little fic of yours any time soon?  
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**Weelllll, I'm not sure! People tend to forget about you a lot...  
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**Total: Well, that didn't hurt my feelings at all. *rolls eyes*  
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**Shut up. Time for the Disclaimer!  
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**Total: BrokenSky49 does not own Maximum Ride or any of its characters. JP does.  
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**Well, that was a boring Disclaimer.  
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**Total: Well, this was a boring AN that I doubt anyone read.  
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**Touche. Oh yeah, and this chapter has not been beta read, sorry CakeIsAGoodFriend, I couldn't help myself... Sooooo, all errors/mistakes are mine! I'm sure that there are plenty in there too. I'm not that good at proofreading my own material.  
**

**Total: She has some issues, in case you haven't noticed.  
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**I'm ignoring that. Here's the next chapter! Let me know what you guys think! Reviews are amazing! :D  
**

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_"Revealing the truth is like lighting a match, it can bring light or it can set your world on fire." -Sydney Rogers_

_Ch. 2  
_

You would think that lunch would be the highlight of my day. And it normally was. But of course, as you've figured out by now, today was not a normal day.

It all started when I walked into the cafeteria, carrying my plate of mystery meat and mashed potatoes.

That ended up all over Lissa Pensky, the Queen Bee of the school.

It was one of those scenes that you would see in a movie, you know? When the awesome heroine trips and spills food all over the terrible popular girl who seems to get her kicks by torturing her. She screams, the said heroine laughs, and all her friends give her high fives and they move on.

Again, the classic high school movie scene.

It would have been funny too, if it wasn't for what made me spill my food in the first place.

My mom, Marian, the one who I haven't seen or heard from in six years, was standing at the opposite side of the room, looking at me.

_WTH?_

I stared for a moment, barely registering Lissa's tantrum on how I ruined her 'beautiful' outfit. Honestly, I thought I was doing her a favor, but to each their own.

I snapped out of it when I saw Marian attempt to sneak away. Oh _heck_ no. She wasn't getting away that easy. I sprinted towards her, knocking some poor, innocent freshmen down along the way. I kept going. They'd live.

I saw her go in the hall to the right. I followed, but when I turned the corner, she was no where to be seen.

"Marian!" Silence. There was no way she got away that quickly. No, she was nearby. She could hear me. "Marian! I know you're there! You can't hide forever!" I walked down the hallway, looking at every possible hiding place. I shouted, "Mom!"

"Max."

I whirled around as Marian stepped out of the shadows. "Mom."

"I'm not you're mother, Maximum."

I glared at her. "Yeah. I know, and I'm glad." I spat out. "Why are you here, Marian? It's been six years. Why show up now?"

"I came to warn you."

I scoffed. "Warn me? About what? That you were gonna randomly appear at my school? Sorry, but it's a little late for that."

"Max, I'm serious. They're coming for you next."

"What are you talking about?"

"They're going to come for you. The School. You're next."

Okay, I was officially confused out of my mind. Who was coming for me? What 'school'? What did she mean by 'next'?

She must have noticed my confused look, because she rolled her eyes. "The School of Inspired Sciences. What other School would I be talking about?"

"I don't know! Maybe this one. I always had a funny feeling that this place was in some dirty business." I reflexively said, and then realized the statement that she just made. "Wait. The School of Inspired Sciences. As in, where Jeb works? That doesn't make any sense!"

Marian spoke with an urgency now. "Max, your father, not everything he says is true. He's lied about your parents. Your real mother is alive."

I froze. What? There was no way. I wanted to argue with her, to yell at her for being an idiot, but all I could muster out was, "Huh?"

"She's alive, Max. In California. You probably don't believe me, but Max, you need to trust me. I know that's hard, but I really do love you. I want to keep you safe. I realize I haven't shown you that recently, but please, listen carefully to what I'm about to tell you." She looked around, as if afraid of being watched. She walked closer to me and lowered her voice. "Angel, she's been taken. And you're next. Because, Max, you're both very special." She lowered her voice even more, so I could barely hear her words. "Max," she whispered, "you and Angel are avian-human hybrids. Part bird. And your friend Fang-"

_Bang!_

And then she was shot.

...

Right in front of me.

I watched her as she looked down at her abdomen, a small circle showing where the bullet entered her body. She looked back up at me, her eyes meeting mine. I stared back, frozen in place. Her eyes, they didn't look afraid. They looked satisfied, as if she expected this to happen and had been waiting for it. She opened up her mouth to speak.

She only said one word. "Itex."

Then she fell.

All I could do was stand there, feeling confused, shocked, and horrified all at once. Marian, my _mother_ for _eleven_ years, just died. Right in front of me. After telling me I was part bird. After telling me that Angel had been kidnapped. After telling me that Fang...

Wait. She never finished telling me about Fang.

Crap. This wasn't good.

I was snapped out of my shocked state when I heard a glass shattering scream come from behind me. "OMG that guy has a gun!" Lissa's voice rang out into the air for all to hear.

Then all heck broke loose.

I briefly saw my mother's assassin make a dash to the right of the hallway, realizing that I had been staring at him after he shot Marian. He could have killed me, but he didn't. _Why? _I was a sitting duck! I barely even registered that he was there.

_Why didn't he kill me?_

I would find out the answer to this soon. Even though it wasn't exactly the way I had expected.

That probably sounded extremely confusing, but you'll figure it out soon enough.

Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, Lissa's ear killing screech of doom.

So, everyone of course heard her scream, and chaos ensued. But I, being the stupid person I am, just stood there, staring at where the assassin used to be. Then some of Marian's words rang in my ear.

_Angel, she's been taken._

No.

No no no no no.

This couldn't be happening.

Not Angel. No, this all had to be some kind of sick joke.

I almost convinced myself that it was too, until I looked down at Marian's body, still on the floor. This wasn't a joke. Or a bad dream. Whatever this was, it was real, and I was completely terrified.

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**Soooooo, what did ya think? Good? Bad? I'd love to know! Hey, you know what? Leaving a review can be a fun thing to do! :D**


	3. Ch 3: New Perspectives

**Why, Hello there my amazing fans! Can I just say, I am BLOWN AWAY by the reviews I got for this story! THANK YOU SOOOOOO MUCH! I love you all! Really! I wasn't expecting so many people to love it!**

**With that said, I would like to apologize for the extremelyyyy long wait. I have been working on this chapter for a couple months now. Fang's POV decided to be a real pain in the butt to write though, so, yeah, writer's block stinks. I'm reallyyyy sorry. Hopefully this won't happen again. And since I took so long to update, I'm not expecting as many reviews, but I hope that you still enjoy it! **

**And I really wanted to get this chapter up, so I didn't have it beta read. I'll try sending the next chapter to my beta reader, since I haven't had her read it for the past two chapters. Sorry Cake! All mistakes are mine!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride and the awesomeness that comes with it. I do own this particular plot line though.**

**And read the author's note at the bottom for some cool info!**

**Enjoy!**

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_Experience is not what happens to you; it's what you do with what's happened to you. –Aldous Huxley_

Fang POV

_The room was bright. White lights were lit up all around me. I could feel cold metal from where I was laying on my back, like an operating table. My wrists and ankles were bound, not that I had the energy to move them even if they weren't. I felt like I had been drained. Drained of energy. Drained of life. Drained of existence. It was horrifying. I wanted to speak, to cry out for help, but I couldn't. I had no control of my body. I tried to blink, to twitch my nose, something to show that I was even alive. Nothing. Completely immobile. My heart raced, at least, I think it was my heart. At this rate I couldn't tell. _

_Something finally moved into my peripheral vision. It was a man. A man in a white coat, like a scientist. He was holding something in his hand, but I couldn't quite make it out. His mouth was moving. I think he was trying to speak to me, but I couldn't hear what it was. He was smiling. Not one of those warm, happy, lets-be-friends smiles, but more of a crazed, lunatic, I'm-gonna-kill-you smile._

_The man in the white coat started bringing the object in his hand closer and closer towards my abdomen. It glinted in the light, making light shine in my eye. It was then when I finally realized what it was. A scalpel. This man in the white coat was about to cut my stomach open. _

_I felt panic well up inside of me. I wanted to scream, to run away, but my body stayed still._

_It was coming closer._

_Closer._

_...Closer..._

Beeeeeep!

I bolted up in a cold sweat, the panic from my dream still vivid in my mind. I lifted my shirt up and checked my stomach. The large scar I got when I was younger was there, as always. But otherwise I was fine. I fell back against my bed, relieved. Running a hand through my black hair, I picked up my phone, which had woken me up.

_Wake up, Princess. It's time for the ball._

Max.

I rolled my eyes at her usual wake up call.

_Shut up, Max. _I replied quickly, not really in the mood to make a snarky remark. I wasn't exactly all there at five in the morning, especially after a dream like that.

_Hey, you're the one that wants me to send you these so early in the morning. You gonna tell me why yet?_

_No. _Not yet, anyway.

_Didn't think so._

I rolled out of bed, my heart finally starting to get back to its normal pace. I checked the clock. 5:05 AM. Which meant it was 8:05 in New York. _Don't you have class or something?_

_No, I'm only at school so I can spend all my early morning free time there. What do you think?_

I smirked. Classic Max. Always the sarcastic one. _ No need to get sarcastic with me. Hey, I gotta go. To talk to you on Skype at 7 EST? _That was our usual time when we talked. Call it our "chat tine." I can just hear all the fangirls now. "Aw, that's so cute!" But Max and I were just friends. Best friends, but that was it. Of course, Iggy and the Gasman would claim otherwise, but that's besides the point.

_Yep, like always. Have fun doing whatever it is you're doing._

I shook my head and I put my phone down to get dressed for work. It was pretty fun, torturing Max over what I was doing every morning for the past month. It wasn't even all that big a deal, really. I don't know why I didn't just tell her that I got a job at Itex that had early hours. Maybe it was what I was going to do with the money that made me not tell her.

...Wow, that must have sounded pretty sketchy. Don't worry, people, I'm not buying drugs with it or anything. Actually, I was saving up money to but a plane ticket to visit Max over spring break. You see, we've never actually met in person. Sure, I've seen her over chat and all that. But, I've never _really_ seen her. And with it being her eighteenth birthday soon, I decided to surprise her by coming over. I even requested early hours so I would be used to the time zone. Yeah, I know. I'm an awesome friend.

I sat back down on my bed again, not really wanting to get ready for work. My thoughts wandered back to the dream I had. This wasn't the first time I've had it. In fact, I've had it every day for the past week. It was really starting to freak me out. Did it mean something? I didn't think so, but you never know.

I absent mindedly started tracing the scar on my torso. Apparently, that's what I do when I'm deep in thought. Max was the first person to point it out to me.

"Fang, you better hurry up or you're gonna be late for work!" My step mom, Dr. Martinez, shouted up the stairs. "Iggy's here already!"

I quickly threw on some dark wash jeans and a black t-shirt and ran down the stairs where my friend, Iggy, stood waiting.

"Man, I can't believe you roped me into doing this job with you." he said with a yawn, his bright blue eyes half closed.

I scoffed as I pulled on my old sneakers. I wasn't exactly in proper work clothes, but this Itex company didn't seem to care, so I just wore whatever I wanted. "Yeah, right. When you found out how much they paid, you begged me to get you a job."

Iggy paused for a moment. "True. And it's not exactly difficult either. But still, getting up this early is obscene."

"Woah, Ig, slow down there with the vocabulary." My half-sister, Ella, said as she walked through the door, followed by my dad. "We don't want you straining yourself."

Iggy scowled as the spunky eleven year old ran up the stairs to take a shower. I just shook my head.

"So, Roland, how was your run?" Dr. M. asked.

"Oh, just fine." he said with a smile. He and Ella go for a run at four thirty every morning. Don't ask why, because I have no idea. They're both insane, in my opinion. "Off to work, Nicholas?" he asked, looking at me.

I nodded, my face passive. My dad and I never had the best relationship. I never seemed to be able to make him happy. He hated my hobbies, my clothing choice, even my friends. Especially Max. The sad thing was, I had no idea why. This job was the only thing he seemed to really approve of in my life. Which was why I didn't tell him what I was going to use the money for.

"Well, I'll see you after school then." He smiled politely, as only a politician could. Yeah, my dad was a politician. What he did, I could never tell you. I tended to stay out of it.

"Let's go, Iggy." I said, and we walked out into the warm California air.

We hopped into his red pickup truck, or, as Iggy liked to call it, Lafaunda. Don't ask, because I honestly don't know.

The fifteen minute car ride was usually silent, neither of us being morning people, not that I was all that talkative anyway. But Iggy decided to break the trend this time. "So, how're you handling all of this?"

I blinked, completely caught off guard. "Huh?"

"You know. You're gonna visit Max in a few months, first time seeing her after knowing her for how many years now? You can't honestly say that you're not nervous."

"Uh..."

"Come on man. Just admit it."

"Well,"

"And you get to meet Nudge. Man, I don't know if that's a good or bad thing."

"I think that-"

"And JJ. She seems pretty cool too. Dang. All of our friends that are girls are on the other side of the country. What does that say about us? We need to step up our game."

"But I-"

"Sure wish I was going. I'd love to meet everyone. They're all my friends too you know. I've chatted with Max many times. And Nudge and JJ. Sure, normally they're just all in the room together, but we talk outside of that sometimes."

"That's-"

"Seriously, man. I think that maybe I should take a trip to the Big Apple sometime. Be interesting."

"But they don't-"

"I guess what I'm really getting at here is-"

"You want to come with me, don't you?" I was finally able to get my two cents in. Now you know why I don't talk all that much.

"Maybeeee. I mean, Gazzy has been wanting to meet Angel for some time now, and he actually has money for a ticket, but my mom won't let him go unless I go, and-"

"Dude. Shut up for a second. Gosh, you're as bad as Nudge sometimes."

Iggy mocked hurt, glancing at me. "You don't mean that!"

I rolled my eyes. "I know you wanted to come, Iggy. Why do you think I told you about the job?"

"Because you wanted to see me at your every waking moment. And you wanted to car pool."

I punched him in the arm as we finally pulled into the Itex parking lot. "Anywayyy, you can come on the trip, Ig. And Gazzy too."

He pumped his fist in the air in victory and did a little dance in the middle of the parking lot. I just shook my head as I got out of the car and headed towards the entrance.

The receptionist looked up and smiled. "Hello Fang, Iggy. Not much to do today. Just more filing."

"Hey Brigid. Thanks. In Dr. Emerson's office again?"

The perky red head smiled and nodded. "Yep. Third door on the right." She pointed towards the same hallway we worked in yesterday.

"Great. See you around." I smiled politely and made my way towards Dr. Emerson's office.

"Man, this guy's office again? He's such a creep." Iggy muttered behind me. I nodded in agreement. He really was. His office was always freakishly clean. No pictures of family. Nothing on the walls. It looked like an unused office. The only clue that the man even existed was his name on the desk and the stack of files in the corner by the filing cabinet that were there for us to organize every day. I haven't even seen the man before.

Of course, all that changed today.

Iggy and I walked into the office without knocking, as we did every day at work. Expecting to be greeted by an empty office as per usual, my eyes widened when I saw a man sitting at the desk. I felt Iggy jump behind me as well, equally surprised.

"Why, hello there sir. Can I help you?" The man I assumed to be Dr. Emerson asked.

"Uh, we're here to organize files. We can come back later if you like."

"Oh no, that's fine. Come on in boys." He motioned us into his office. "I actually have a job one of you could do for me, if you don't mind. You." he pointed at me. "Could you bring this file down to Dr. Kessner's office? Take a left, head down the hallway and take a right. It's the fifth door on the right." He took a file from the top of the stack and handed it to me.

"Uh, sure." I took the file and walked out of the office, leaving a groaning Iggy behind.

Gently closing the door behind me, I walked in the direction Dr. Emerson had told me. I approached the door with the name "Dr. Kelly Kessner" labeled on the frontwhen I looked at the old file in my hands.

What I saw made me drop it on the floor.

In large, bold print, was a name. A name that will be engrained in my brain for a long time.

That name was Maximum Ride.

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**So, did you like it? Leave a review and let me know! I'm not sure how I did with Fang's personality. It's a lot harder to write than it seems.**

**And for that cool info! **

**So, I have decided to create a challenge. A challenge called _ONE SHOT A WEEK_. Basically, for the next two months, I will be writing a one shot each week. There's more information on my profile, if you would like to look at it. I encourage you to participate! Sure, it's hard, but it'll be fun! So, let me know if you want to participate! If enough people do, then I'll make a forum or community or something where we can read everyone's entries. And we can encourage each other to keep writing each week. (: You can still participate without telling me, just thought it would be cool to know if anyone decided to try it.  
**

**And a question to leave you all: What is your favorite book character? Leave your answer in a review!**

**Any questions? Thoughts? Concerns? Predictions? Let me know what they are!**

**Goodnight all!**

**-Sky**


	4. Ch 4: Experiment 108A

**Well, that chapter took longer to write then expected. I am SOO sorry about the wait. Hopefully you guys are still sticking with this. Thank you to all those who Favorited/followed and reviewed last chapter! You're all awesome! *does happy dance***

**Sorry if this is a little out of character, I'm still getting used to Fang's POV. I'm not terribly happy with this chapter, but I was determined to get it up today, which is why I'm up at 2:30 in the morning. So, this is for you, readers! Please review! That is the best motivation an author can get!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride, just this particular plot.**

**Enjoy!**

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A_ true friend never gets in your way unless you happen to be going down. -Arnold H. Glasow  
_

_Fang's POV_

_Ch. 4_

I stared at the file on the floor, trying to process what this was exactly. This file could be anything. I knew she worked at the same company back in New York, but what was a file for her doing here, in California? It made no sense at all.

My hands shook as I picked up the file again. Should I open it? I mean, we did sign a contract saying we wouldn't open any unauthorized files, and this one had a huge UNAUTHORIZED stamp going across it. If I opened it I could get fired...

Ah, what the heck am I talking about? Of course I was going to open it.

But not here.

I stuck the file up my shirt and made my way back to Dr. Emerson's office. I had to check this out in private.

Walking into the office, I was surprised to find it empty. "Uh, guys?"

"Oh, hello Fang!" I whirled around as Dr. Emerson entered his office, followed by a rather perturbed looking Iggy. "I was just giving Iggy here a little chat here about our different company policies." He forced a smile. "We're at a mutual understanding now, aren't we, Mr. Griffiths?" I saw Iggy nod, rather reluctantly, it looked like. Huh, this was weird.

"Well, I think you boys have worked enough for today. What do you say about me treating you to some coffee? I won't accept no as an answer." He shooed us out the door. "Just wait in the reception room. I'll be down in a minute."

"But-" I couldn't even fit in my response, because he shut the door in our faces. I turned to look at Iggy. "Dude, what the _heck _was that about?"

"Not here." Iggy looked around furtively. "Come on, let's ditch this guy. There is no way I am ever going to go get coffee with him."

"Wait, I know he's creepy, but wouldn't it be polite to just have coffee with the guy?" Okay, I admit it, that was a load of crap. I really just wanted to try and get some answers out of this guy as to why a file about my best friend was here.

"Dude, are you nuts? You actually want to have coffee with the guy." He looked at me like I was crazy. Honestly, I don't blame him. This was very out of character for me. "That's it. Something's up. You need to see a doctor or something." He grabbed my arm and started to drag me towards te exit.

"Wait, Iggy, listen. Something's up with this place. Look." I pulled out the file from under my shirt.

"What the-" Iggy stared. "Okay, now we _really _got to get out of here."

"But this guy might have some answers."

"Oh, trust me, Fang. You don't want to talk to this guy." He started to drag me away again. We were about to pass Brigid when he shouted, "Hey, Brigid, we quit!"

"We what?"

"Yep, the Fangster and I are done here! See ya around!" We didn't even wait to hear her response as we headed out the door and towards the truck.

"What the heck! You just blew our chance of ever figuring out what on earth is going on. We had an in, and now it's gone. Great. Thanks, Iggy." I was fuming. I couldn't believe he actually did that. Leaning against the truck, I crossed my arms.

"Come on. Get in the truck Fang."

"I'm not getting in until you tell me what a bonehead you are for doing that."

"Oh for crying out loud. You're just as bad as Max sometimes, I'm telling you."

I glared at him. I had to admit though, Max and I were both pretty stubborn. Don't tell her I said that. "Say it."

Iggy hit his head aginst the steering wheel. "Fine, I'm a bonehead, but really, I have a reason. Just _get in_, and I'll tell you."

"Fine." I climbed in, and we sped off. "You want to tell me what happened now?"

He let out a breath. "Okay, so, while you were off doing whatever, I found something in Emerson's office."

"And?"

"It was a file."

"Okay, and? Really, you can be a bit more detailed."

"It had your name on it."

I pause. Interesting. Files with my name and with Max's name. Okay. This was weird. "Do you have it?"

"That's the thing. Emerson stepped out of the office for a minute, so I took the chance to open it. I didn't get very far when he came back and caught me."

Oh, that explains that whole episode from when I got back. "What did he say?"

"Well, I'm pretty sure he threatened me. Unless he actually meant that he would teach me a lesson, like, math or something. I don't know. He seems more like a sciency kind of guy..."

"Wait, he actually threatened you? What did you see in the file that was so important to make him do that?"

"Honestly, I saw about three words before he came in. I have no idea what's in it, but it must be something pretty juicy. What have you been hiding, Fang?" He wiggled his eyebrows at me.

I rolled my eyes. "This is serious. What were the three words you saw? There's got to be something that we can go off of."

"They were something like, 'Experiment 108B success.' Or something like that. Whatever that means."

Okay. That was something we could work with. "Let's just get to school."

"We have an hour and a half before it starts, Fang."

Oh, right. We didn't stay at work the full two and a half hours, like normal. "Great, that means we've got time to look at this," I wave the folder, "before class starts."

"Great, that also means we've got time to crash at Sam's place."

I groaned. "Iggy, you know I can't stand that guy."

"I don't get why. He's awesome. Besides, he's smart. Maybe he can help us with all _this_." He gestures wildly.

Hesitating, I finally give in. "Fine. Whatever. But we get out of there as soon as possible."

So, I probably seem like a jerk that just hates random people. I'm not, trust me, but there was something about this Sam guy that rubbed me the wrong way. Maybe it was the fact that he just started this year. Maybe it was that he had somehow weaseled his way into our video chat group. Maybe it was how he always looked at Max weird...

Nah, must be something else.

Anyway, we arrived at his house half an hour later (blame traffic), and Iggy took out the spare key from under the welcome mat. Yeah, Iggy was over here a lot nowadays. Might have to do with the fact that Sam was loaded and had an indoor swimming pool and hot tub.

"Yo, Sam! Mind if we crash here for a bit?" He yelled up the stairs. No answer. Huh, guess he was still sleeping.

"Why yes, Iggy, make yourself at home. And feel free to eat everything in the fridge." Iggy mock spoke as he opened the fridge and took out a jar of pickles. Plopping on the leather sofa, he gestured towards the folder. "So, let's take a look at this thing, shall we?"

I open it up. This thing was stacked with papers. There was no way we could get through it in just an hour. I divided the stack in half and gave one to Iggy. "Here, look for anything important, or something that could explain all this."

"You got it, sir." And with that, we got busy.

The first few papers I had were not helpful. It was all just a bunch of code, not anything I could understand. It wasn't until I got to page seven when I finally found something I could look at. It was labeled "BIOGRAPHY: EXPERIMENT 108A AND IT'S HISTORY." Well that was certainly eye-catching. So, we've got Experiment 108A and 108B. What did all this mean? I looked at the next page.

"5/21: Experiment 108A has been fully developed. DNA suppressor has been applied. Suspected emergence; eighteen years."

"5/30: Experiment went through testing and turned up positive for regenerative capabilities. Suppressor applied. Suspected time to wear off; eighteen years."

"6/10: Experiment 108A shows attachment to companion, as expected. Studies show strong sentiment, even with limited knowledge. Must undergo further testing."

"6/19: Experiment shows high problem solving skills and protective nature over other experiments."

"6/21: All experiments show quick developmental rate. Suppressor applied. Expected result; regulated development."

"7/02: Development suppressor success. Normal growth rate. Affection toward companion still strong."

"7/13: Experiment 108A begins test #250. Physical separation length; eighteen years. Communication separation length; six years."

"7/15: Experiment 108A becomes domestic. Acts normal in natural environment"

"7/16: Full implementation of test #250. Parents; Dr. Jeb Batcheldor and Dr. Marian Janssen. Siblings; N/A. Given Experiment name; Maximum."

That was when I finally stopped reading.

* * *

"So, Max is an experiment."

I nod.

"She's not normal."

I nod.

"There are others like her."

I nod again.

"Man, this is just too weird."

Once again, I can only nod.

it was a little after nine in the morning at that point. Iggy had fallen asleep as soon as I handed him the stack, so he had no new information to give me. And it also meant that we missed the first hour of school, but I didn't care.

Max was an experiment.

My best friend, the one I knew since first grade, was not the girl I thought I knew.

Had she been lying to me this whole time? Did she know what she was and not tell me? What if she didn't know? Do I tell her? Of course I do, she deserves to know. But how would that impact her? She would fall apart. I know I would if that were me.

After I had gone through the little biography of Experiment 108A, or better yet, known to me as the Maximum Ride, I sat there for the last forty-five, processing the information. It was all a little much to take in, and we hadn't even gone through the entire stack yet. Who knew what was waiting for us in the rest of it.

"So, did Sam ever come down?"

I look up at Iggy. "Uh, no, I don't think so." Honestly, I had completely forgotten.

"Oh, I'll go see if he's in his room. Maybe he just slept in."

I nodded, not really paying much attention. I reach for the file again, afraid to look inside. I suddenly remember Iggy saying how he found a file with my name on it. I feel the blood drain from my face. Did that mean-

I'm startled from my thoughts as my pone started to ring. Pulling it out, I note that it was Max. "Hey, Max, I was just-"

_"Fang."_

I hear her voice crack. She was crying.

Max never cries.

"Max, what's wrong?" My voice sudden;y turned serious.

_"It's Angel. They, they took her! She's gone. I don't know what to do. Something weird is going on. I can't find my dad, my mom got shot in front of me, something about me being next."_

"Woah, Max, slow down for a minute."

_"I can't. Look, I know this is a lot to ask of you, but they have my sister. Fang I really need you here. I've got to find her, and my dad. I just, I can't- wait,"_ I hear the surprise in her voice; she isn't talking to me anymore._ "What, Sam? What are you- wait, Angel? What the- Stop! No! Fannggg!"_ I hear a _boom_ on the other line, and then silence as the phone is dropped and the line goes dead.

I'm still standing in the middle of the room with the phone plastered to my ear when Iggy comes back down. "I don't think he's home. Oh well. We'll just- hey, what's up? It's like you just witnessed a murder or something. You okay?"

I finally put the phone down and looked Iggy straight in the eye. "I think someone just kidnapped Max." I took a breath. "And whoever it was, I'm going to kill them. All of them."

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**So, what did y'all think? I know it's not my best, but hopefully it worked. Tell me your thoughts and any ways to improve? It would be greatly appreciated. :D**

**Oh, and brownie points to those who caught my extremely miniscule Lost reference. ;)**


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